SEC Form N-CSR filed by First Trust Energy Infrastructure Fund

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-22528

First Trust Energy Infrastructure Fund
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400
Wheaton, IL 60187
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

W. Scott Jardine, Esq.
First Trust Portfolios L.P.
120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400
Wheaton, IL 60187
(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 630-765-8000

Date of fiscal year end: November 30

Date of reporting period: November 30, 2023

Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e-1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.

A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507.

Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.

(a) The Report to Shareholders is attached herewith.

First Trust

Energy Infrastructure Fund (FIF)

Annual Report

For the Year Ended

November 30, 2023

 

 

 

Table of Contents

Shareholder Letter

First Trust Energy Infrastructure Fund (FIF)

Annual Letter from the Chairman and CEO

November 30, 2023

Dear Shareholders,

First Trust is pleased to provide you with the annual report for the First Trust Energy Infrastructure Fund (the “Fund”), which contains detailed information about the Fund for the twelve months ended November 30, 2023.

Rising prices and the direction of central bank policy continue to dominate headlines on a global scale. As of December 12, 2023, just one of the eleven countries that comprise the so-called “Group of Ten” had a rate of inflation that was below its target for the metric. To rein in these price increases, central banks across the globe have been implementing more restrictive monetary policies. Over the past twelve months, the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) increased the Federal Funds target rate (upper bound) from 4.00% (where it stood on November 30, 2022) to 5.50% as of November 30, 2023. Inflation, as measured by the 12-month change in the rate of the Consumer Price Index, stood at 3.1% at the end of November 2023, marking the thirty-third consecutive month that the metric has been elevated above the Fed’s stated goal of 2.0%.

As many investors are likely aware, tighter monetary policy often leads to lower economic growth. In their October 2023 publication of the World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund projected that the growth in world economic output is expected to slow from 3.5% in 2022 to 2.9% in 2024. The economic growth in advanced economies is projected to plummet from 2.6% in 2022 to 1.4% over the same period. The impact of higher rates on consumers and businesses cannot be overstated. For consumers, rising interest rates typically increase the cost of borrowing for large purchases, such as homes and automobiles. Assuming a 20% down payment, the rise in mortgage rates since the Fed began its current tightening cycle amounts to a 31% increase in monthly interest payments on a new 30-year mortgage for the median new home, according to Brian Wesbury, Chief Economist at First Trust. For corporations, the rising cost of debt financing often leads to a contraction in business investment as free capital dries up and expansion projects slow. Refinitiv Lipper reported that the value of global merger and acquisitions activity stood at just $2.38 trillion year-to-date through October 2023, representing a decline of 20% compared to the same period last year and the lowest January to October total in a decade.

The financial markets battled a myriad of headwinds over the past year, from geopolitical uncertainty resulting from war (the conflicts between Israel and Hamas and Russia and Ukraine) to sticky inflation and the looming threat of an economic recession. While calls for a recession may concern some investors, the following may offer solace. Data from Bloomberg reveals that the S&P 500^® Index has posted positive total returns over the 3-year period following every recession since 1948.

Thank you for giving First Trust the opportunity to play a role in your financial future. We value our relationship with you and will report on the Fund again in six months.

Sincerely,

James A. Bowen

Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Chief Executive Officer of First Trust Advisors L.P.

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Table of Contents

First Trust Energy Infrastructure Fund (FIF)

“AT A GLANCE”

As of November 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Fund Statistics
Symbol on New York Stock Exchange	FIF
Common Share Price	$16.47
Common Share Net Asset Value (“NAV”)	$17.57
Premium (Discount) to NAV	(6.26)%
Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares	$275,226,632
Current Monthly Distribution per Common Share(1)	$0.1000
Current Annualized Distribution per Common Share	$1.2000
Current Distribution Rate on Common Share Price(2)	7.29%
Current Distribution Rate on NAV(2)	6.83%

 

Common Share Price & NAV (weekly closing price)

  

 

Performance
		Average Annual Total Returns
	1 Year Ended 11/30/23	5 Years Ended 11/30/23	10 Years Ended 11/30/23	Inception (9/27/11) to 11/30/23
Fund Performance(3)
NAV	5.20%	8.27%	5.71%	8.15%
Market Value	15.95%	9.52%	5.31%	7.17%
Index Performance
PHLX Utility Sector Index	-10.52%	5.90%	8.73%	8.57%
Alerian MLP Total Return Index	23.29%	10.33%	2.29%	5.30%
Blended Index(4)	5.53%	10.13%	6.80%	8.08%
S&P 500® Index	13.84%	12.51%	11.81%	13.98%

(1)	Most recent distribution paid through November 30, 2023. Subject to change in the future.

(2)	Distribution rates are calculated by annualizing the most recent distribution paid through the report date and then dividing by Common Share Price or NAV, as applicable, as of November 30, 2023. Subject to change in the future.

(3)

Total return is based on the combination of reinvested dividend, capital gain, and return of capital distributions, if any, at prices obtained by the Dividend Reinvestment Plan and changes in NAV per share for NAV returns and changes in Common Share Price for market value returns. Total returns do not reflect sales load and are not annualized for periods of less than one year. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

(4)

The Blended Index consists of the following: PHLX Utility Sector Index (50%) and Alerian MLP Total Return Index (50%). The Blended Index reflects the diverse allocation of companies engaged in the energy infrastructure sector in the Fund’s portfolio. The indices do not charge management fees or brokerage expenses, and no such fees or expenses were deducted from the performance shown. Indexes are unmanaged and an investor cannot invest directly in an index. The Blended Index returns are calculated by using the monthly return of the two indices during each period shown above. At the beginning of each month the two indices are rebalanced to a 50-50 ratio to account for divergence from that ratio that occurred during the course of each month. The monthly returns are then compounded for each period shown above, giving the performance for the Blended Index for each period shown above.

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Table of Contents

Portfolio Commentary (Continued)

First Trust Energy Infrastructure Fund (FIF)

Annual Report

November 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

from Bloomberg. While in the short term, market share price appreciation can be volatile, EIP believes that over the long term, share price appreciation will approximate growth in per share earnings and quarterly cash distributions paid by the companies in the portfolio.

Performance Analysis

		Average Annual Total Returns
	1 Year Ended 11/30/23	5 Years Ended 11/30/23	10 Years Ended 11/30/23	Inception (9/27/11) to 11/30/23
Fund Performance(1)
NAV	5.20%	8.27%	5.71%	8.15%
Market Value	15.95%	9.52%	5.31%	7.17%
Index Performance
PHLX Utility Sector Index	-10.52%	5.90%	8.73%	8.57%
Alerian MLP Total Return Index	23.29%	10.33%	2.29%	5.30%
Blended Index(2)	5.53%	10.13%	6.80%	8.08%
S&P 500® Index	13.84%	12.51%	11.81%	13.98%

  
Performance figures assume reinvestment of all distributions and do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the indices do not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore do not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. The Fund’s past performance does not predict future performance. 

On a net asset value (“NAV”) basis, for the 12-month period ended November 30, 2023, the Fund provided a total return⁽¹⁾ of 5.20%, including the reinvestment of distributions. This compares, according to collected data, to a total return of 13.84% for the S&P 500^® Index (the “Index”), a return of 5.53% for a blended index consisting of the UTY (50%) and the AMZX (50%) (the “Blended Index”). On a market value basis, the Fund had a total return⁽¹⁾, including the reinvestment of distributions, of 15.95% for the same period. At the end of the period, the Fund was priced at $16.47 per Common Share, while the NAV was $17.57 per Common Share, a discount of

(1)

Total return is based on the combination of reinvested dividend, capital gain and return of capital distributions, if any, at prices obtained by the Dividend Reinvestment Plan and changes in NAV per share for NAV returns and changes in Common Share Price for market value returns. Total returns do not reflect sales load and are not annualized for periods of less than one year. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

(2)

The Blended Index consists of the following: PHLX Utility Sector Index (50%) and Alerian MLP Total Return Index (50%). The Blended Index reflects the diverse allocation of companies engaged in the energy infrastructure sector in the Fund’s portfolio. The indexes do not charge management fees or brokerage expenses, and no such fees or expenses were deducted from the performance shown. Indexes are unmanaged and an investor cannot invest directly in an index. The Blended Index returns are calculated by using the monthly return of the two indices during each period shown above. At the beginning of each month the two indices are rebalanced to a 50-50 ratio to account for divergence from that ratio that occurred during the course of each month. The monthly returns are then compounded for each period shown above, giving the performance for the Blended Index for each period shown above.

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Table of Contents

INVESTMENT ADVISOR

First Trust Advisors L.P.

120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400

Wheaton, IL 60187

INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISOR

Energy Income Partners, LLC

10 Wright Street

Westport, CT 06880

TRANSFER AGENT

Computershare, Inc.

P.O. Box 43006

Providence, RI 02940

ADMINISTRATOR,
FUND ACCOUNTANT, AND
CUSTODIAN

The Bank of New York Mellon

240 Greenwich Street

New York, NY 10286

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Deloitte & Touche LLP

111 South Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

LEGAL COUNSEL

Chapman and Cutler LLP

320 South Canal Street

Chicago, IL 60606

(b) Not applicable.

Item 2. Code of Ethics.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.

As of the end of the period covered by the report, the registrant’s board of trustees has determined that Thomas R. Kadlec, Robert F. Keith and Bronwyn Wright are qualified to serve as audit committee financial experts serving on its audit committee and that each of them is “independent,” as defined by Item 3 of Form N-CSR.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

(a)  Audit Fees (Registrant) — The aggregate fees billed for each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of the registrant’s annual financial statements or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal years were $46,000 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022 and $46,000 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.

(b)  Audit-Related Fees (Registrant) — The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for assurance and related services by the principal accountant that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the registrant’s financial statements and are not reported under paragraph (a) of this Item were $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022 and $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.

Audit-Related Fees (Investment Advisor) — The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for assurance and related services by the principal accountant that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the registrant’s financial statements and are not reported under paragraph (a) of this Item were $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022 and $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.

(c) Tax Fees (Registrant) — The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning to the registrant were $16,250 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022 and $21,164 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023. These fees were for tax consultation and/or tax return preparation and professional services rendered for PFIC (Passive Foreign Investment Company) Identification Services.

Tax Fees (Investment Advisor) — The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning to the registrant’s advisor were $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022 and $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.

(d) All Other Fees (Registrant) — The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for products and services provided by the principal accountant to the registrant, other than the services reported in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this Item were $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022 and $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.

All Other Fees (Investment Advisor) — The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for products and services provided by the principal accountant to the registrant’s investment advisor, other than the services reported in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this Item were $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022 and $0 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.

Pursuant to its charter and its Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy, the Audit Committee (the “Committee”) is responsible for the pre-approval of all audit services and permitted non-audit services (including the fees and terms thereof) to be performed for the registrant by its independent auditors. The Chairman of the Committee authorized to give such pre-approvals on behalf of the Committee up to $25,000 and report any such pre-approval to the full Committee.

The Committee is also responsible for the pre-approval of the independent auditor’s engagements for non-audit services with the registrant’s advisor (not including a sub-advisor whose role is primarily portfolio management and is sub-contracted or overseen by another investment advisor) and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment advisor that provides ongoing services to the registrant, if the engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the registrant, subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X. If the independent auditor has provided non-audit services to the registrant’s advisor (other than any sub-advisor whose role is primarily portfolio management and is sub-contracted with or overseen by another investment advisor) and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment advisor that provides ongoing services to the registrant that were not pre-approved pursuant to the de minimis exception, the Committee will consider whether the provision of such non-audit services is compatible with the auditor’s independence.

(b) 0%

(c) 0%

(d) 0%

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.

Item 6. Investments.

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

A description of the policies and procedures used to vote proxies on behalf of the Fund is attached as an exhibit.

Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

(a)(1) Identification of Portfolio Manager(s) or Management Team Members and Description of Role of Portfolio Manager(s) or Management Team Members

Information provided as of December 19, 2023.

Energy Income Partners, LLC

Energy Income Partners, LLC (“EIP”), located in Westport, CT, was founded in 2003 to provide professional asset management services in publicly traded energy-related infrastructure companies with above average dividend payout ratios operating pipelines and related storage and handling facilities, electric power transmission and distribution as well as long contracted or regulated power generation from renewables and other sources. The corporate structure of the portfolio companies include C-corporations, partnerships and energy infrastructure real estate investment trusts. EIP mainly focuses on investments in assets that receive steady fee-based or regulated income from their corporate and individual customers. EIP manages or supervises approximately $5.4 billion of assets as of November 30, 2022. EIP advises two privately offered partnerships for U.S. high net worth individuals and an open-end mutual fund. EIP also manages separately managed accounts and provides its model portfolio to unified managed accounts. Finally, EIP serves as a sub-advisor to three closed-end management investment companies in addition to the Fund, two actively managed exchange-traded funds, a sleeve of an actively managed exchange-traded fund and a sleeve of a series of variable insurance trust. EIP is a registered investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

James J. Murchie, Co-Portfolio Manager

James J. Murchie is the Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, co-portfolio manager and a Principal of Energy Income Partners. After founding Energy Income Partners in October 2003, Mr. Murchie and the Energy Income Partners investment team joined Pequot Capital Management Inc. (“Pequot Capital”) in December 2004. In August 2006, Mr. Murchie and the Energy Income Partners investment team left Pequot Capital and re-established Energy Income Partners. Prior to founding Energy Income Partners, Mr. Murchie was a Portfolio Manager at Lawhill Capital Partners, LLC (“Lawhill Capital”), a long/short equity hedge fund investing in commodities and equities in the energy and basic industry sectors. Before Lawhill Capital, Mr. Murchie was a Managing Director at Tiger Management, LLC, where his primary responsibility was managing a portfolio of investments in commodities and related equities. Mr. Murchie was also a Principal at Sanford C. Bernstein. He began his career at British Petroleum, PLC. Mr. Murchie holds a BA from Rice University and an MA from Harvard University.

Eva Pao, Co-Portfolio Manager

Eva Pao is a Co-Founder, co-portfolio manager and a Principal of Energy Income Partners. She has been with EIP since inception in 2003. From 2005 to mid-2006, Ms. Pao joined Pequot Capital Management during EIP’s affiliation with Pequot. Prior to Harvard Business School, Ms. Pao was a Manager at Enron Corp where she managed a portfolio in Canadian oil and gas equities for Enron’s internal hedge fund that specialized in energy-related equities and managed a natural gas trading book. Ms. Pao holds degrees from Rice University and Harvard Business School.

John K. Tysseland, Co-Portfolio Manager

John Tysseland is a Principal and co-portfolio manager. From 2005 to 2014, he worked at Citi Research most currently serving as a Managing Director where he covered midstream energy companies and MLPs. From 1998 to 2005, he worked at Raymond James & Associates as a Vice President who covered the oilfield service industry and established the firm’s initial coverage of MLPs in 2001. Prior to that, he was an Equity Trader at Momentum Securities from 1997 to 1998 and an Assistant Executive Director at Sumar Enterprises from 1996 to 1997. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1996 with a BA in economics.

Other Accounts Managed by Portfolio Manager

Information provided as of December 19, 2023.

*Examples for Types of Accounts:

Other Registered Investment Companies: Any investment vehicle which is registered with the SEC, such as mutual funds of registered hedge funds.

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles: Any unregistered account for which investor assets are pooled together, such as an unregistered hedge fund.

Other Accounts: Any accounts managed not covered by the other two categories, such as privately managed accounts.

Portfolio Manager Potential Conflicts of Interests

Potential conflicts of interest may arise when a fund’s portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to one or more other funds or other accounts, as is the case for the portfolio managers of the Fund. These potential conflicts may include:

Besides the Fund, Energy Income Partners, LLC (“EIP”) portfolio managers serves as portfolio managers to separately managed accounts and provides its model portfolio to unified managed accounts and serve as portfolio managers to three closed-end management investment companies other than the Fund, three actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and a sleeve of a series of a variable insurance trust.

The portfolio managers also serve as portfolio managers for two private investment funds (the “Private Funds”), both of which have a performance fee and an open end registered mutual fund.

EIP has written policies and procedures regarding order aggregation and allocation that seek to ensure that all accounts are treated fairly and equitably and that no account is at a disadvantage. EIP will generally execute client transactions on an aggregated basis when EIP believes that to do so will allow it to obtain best execution and to negotiate more favorable commission rates or avoid certain transaction costs that might have otherwise been paid had such orders been placed independently. EIP’s ability to implement this may be limited by an account’s custodian, directed brokerage arrangements or other constraints limiting EIP’s use of a common executing broker.

An aggregated order may be allocated on a basis different from that specified herein provided that all clients receive fair and equitable treatment and there is a reason for the different allocation. Reasons for deviation may include (but are not limited to): a client’s investment guidelines and restrictions, available cash, liquidity or legal reasons, and to avoid odd-lots or in cases when an allocation would result in a de minimis allocation to one or more clients.

Notwithstanding the above, due to differing tax ramifications and compliance ratios, as well as dissimilar risk constraints and tolerances, accounts with similar investment mandates may trade the same securities at differing points in time. Additionally, for the reasons noted above, certain accounts, including funds in which EIP, its affiliates and/or employees (“EIP Funds”) have a financial interest including proprietary accounts, may trade separately from other accounts and participate in transactions which are deemed to be inappropriate for other accounts with similar investment mandates. Further, during periods in which EIP intends to trade the same securities across multiple accounts, transactions for those accounts that must be traded through specific brokers and/or platforms will often be executed after those for accounts over which EIP exercises full brokerage discretion, including the EIP Funds.

(a)(3) Compensation Structure of Portfolio Managers or Management Team Members

Portfolio Manager Compensation

Information provided as of December 19, 2023.

The Fund’s portfolio managers are compensated by a competitive minimum base salary and share in the profits of EIP in relation to their ownership of EIP. The profits of EIP are influenced by the assets under management and the performance of the Funds (i.e. all Funds and accounts managed or sub-advised by EIP). Therefore, their success is based on the growth and success for all the funds, not just the funds that charge an incentive fee. The Fund’s portfolio managers understand that you cannot have asset growth without the trust and confidence of investors, therefore, they do not engage in taking undue risk to generate performance.

The compensation of the EIP team members is determined according to prevailing rates within the industry for similar positions. EIP wishes to attract, retain and reward high quality personnel through a competitive compensation package.

Information provided as of November 30, 2023.

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.

Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which the shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s board of directors, where those changes were implemented after the registrant last provided disclosure in response to the requirements of Item 407(c)(2)(iv) of Regulation S-K (17 CFR 229.407) (as required by Item 22(b)(15) of Schedule 14A (17 CFR 240.14a-101)), or this Item.

Item 11. Controls and Procedures.

Item 12. Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Item 13. Exhibits.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

^* Print the name and title of each signing officer under his or her signature.